Knitting-machine



to the 4ends ofthe needle bars, which hold UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

JOHN PEPPER,` OE PORTSMOUTH, NEwHlnviPsPnRE,v AssIGNoR To CRANE, PEPPERa CRANE.

YKNITTrlver-lvrAoHINE.

`Specfcation of Letters Patent No. 8,172', .datedJ'une 24, 1851.

To all whom t may concern: l

` Be it known that I, JOHN PEPPER, of Portsmouth, in the county ofRockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in a Machine for Knitting Hosiery, called theDouble-Acting Knitting-Machine; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full description of the constructionand operation of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part ofthis specification, of which: i

\ Figure l, is` a front elevation showing the frame, and most of theworking parts. Fig.

2, is an elevationof one end showing the frame, pulleys, gearing, etc.Fig. 3, is a top view. Fig. l a section of a top view. Fig. 5, is a viewthrough the line A B of Fig. l. Fig. 6, is a section through the sameline.

Similar marks of reference refer to like parts in all the drawings.-

C C ends of the frame, D D grts, E `pulley by which the machine may bedriven, fastened to the pinion E', both of `which turn on a studfastenedtothe end of the frame. The pinion E drives the` wheel F upon the main;shaftF, which turns in appropriate boxes fastened to the ends C C.Fastened to the main shaft aretwo` levers G G, with studs in them, uponwhich the rollers G G (one of which is represented by dotted line inFig. 5.) turn, which-raise the lifting pieces H H fastened to the slidesH H and raise them. The upper ends of the same traverse in the stands II, fastened to the ends C C. The lower ends fork onto the shaft and aredrawn down by the special springs I I', which vare fastened t0 theslides and to the caps of the boXinwhich the main shaft turns. There arestuds J `J in each of those slides, that work in the slots in the shortarms of the bent levers K K, the fulcra of these levers being the studsl l, fastened in the end, C C. `The ends of the long arms of the leversK Kare perforated, to receive the endsof the needle Vbars K K', whichare made to vibrate, and throw the loops off ofthe needles a a by theaction of the studs JJ operating the levers K K. There are some-circularpieces 2, 2 `fastened them in their proper position, and traverse on thestands 3 3. `The needles a a, are made in the usual form of needles usedin knitting machines, with `a`barb,and groove to receive screwing theblocks thus formed onto the needle bar.

The combs b b are made of a` series of metal teeth mounted by castinglead or composition around the shanks of the teeth to hold them firmly;these are fastened to the comb bars L L which bars are fastened to thepermanent` bars M` M, bythe crossbars C C C. The ends of the permanentbars are fastened to the ends C C. The teeth of the combs b standbetweenthe needles a a, and hold the fabric knitq so that when the needles aredrawn back by the levers above described the `teeth o-f the combsholding the knit fabric, the needles are drawn out of the old loops, thepressers N N pressing the barbs of the needles into the grooves, whiletheloops are being drawn over, so as to slip off of the ends or heads ofthe needles.

The rollers O C turn upon studs in the special springs N N, which arefastened to the presser bar and to the studs 1 l. By theapparatusdescribed the rollers() C de press the pressers, and press thebarbs of the needles. into the grooves, so that the old loops slip over,atthe same time that the rollers G Gr, draw out thelneedles. When theneedles return,"by the actionfof the springs I `I, t-he stop bars 9 9stop the fabric knitl new loops (whichnow become old) yto `receive theyarn from the carrying needles g g to form new loops.` i

' so that the needles slip forward through the The wheelS upon the shaftF drives the wheel S nponthe bottom shaft T,which has the arms 4 4fastened to it with the roll` ers T' T upon them that act upon thewedges U U on the lever U and vibrate it.

The fulcrum-of the lever U is a stud in the girt D. `The end of thelever traverses in the roller 5 that rolls upon the opposite girt.`Attached to the lever U are two chains 6 6l.' `Theoppositeendsof thesechains ilo are fastened to the two grooved pulleys 6 6 upon the verticalshafts V V to turn them in the stands V V, and V2 V2 fastenedA to theends C C. Upon each of the shafts VV are two pulleys WV W. The pulleys WW have the slur chains X X fastened to them. The opposite ends of thechains are fastened to the slur boxes Y Y, which traverse upon thefalling bar Z, which is supported by the hangers a e, represented inpart by dotted lines. The slur boxes Y Y are connected together by thebar Y, to which they are fastened; and the slurs cZ Z turn upon pivotsin the boxes, (hence they are called tilting or vibrating slurs,) whenacted upon by the half jacks e e e e (as they pass under them,) whichare parallel to the sinkers to bel hereafter described.

The groove in the falling bar is cut deeper as shown by the dotted linesin lFig. l, than it ds under the sinkers. The lower ends of the slursshown by dotted lines extend into the groove in the falling bar, so asto cat-ch under the ends of the sinkers to raise them t so that thecarrying needles g g canpass under the projections of the sinkers' e eand deliver the yarn to the knitting needles, a a. The groove inthefalling bar under the sinkers is not deep enough to allow the slurs toturn, and they are held from falling too far by the pins 5 5.

The pulleys W W upon the shafts V V have the chains 7 7 fastened tothem. The opposite ends of these chains are fastened to the slippingslide f, which has two slots 8 8 in it for the heads of the screws s swhich fasten the carrying needles g g to the traversing slide h, theends of which are bent down and perforated so that the top bar z. passesthrough them, upon which the slide 71. traverses; which to-p bari isfastened to the ends C C.

The sinker frames 7c 7c are fastened to the stands I I. To the top andbottom of these frames the sinker guide plates Z Z are fastened and t-henotches u u in them lit the edges of the sinkers m m and the half jackse e e e, all of which traverse freely in the guides. The sinkers m m aremade in form represented in the drawing, and are suffi` ciently heavy todraw the amount of yarn from the supply, that is necessary to form theloops as they drop after being raised by the slurs Z (Z. The sinkers aremade thin above the line l0 so that the projection will drop freelybetween the needles a a; also that the needles may pass freely betweenthe sinkers.

Thestops e e fastened to the t-op of the top bar e' prevents thetraversing slide Z1, from going farther than it is carried bytheslipping slide f.

The half jacks e e e e are made in the fo-rm of a sinker below the linel0. and have the Stoppers n n n n. fastened to them, which allows themto drop low enough to turn the slurs Z d.

There are two rollers p p upon which the fabric knit is wound asrepresented by the red lines Fig. 5. The pivots of the rollers p p turnin the slides p p fastened to the ends C C. Upon the ends of the rollersp p are ratchet wheels 7 1 which are held by the pawls 7" 11. As thefabrics are knit they are drawn down by the weight rollers 0c which layon the fabrics.

ln Fig. 6, -the levers K K, needle bars K K', and needles a a, arerepresented by vblack lines in a position to receive the yarn from thecarrying needles g g; and by red lines as being nearly drawn out as inthe actof drawing off the loops; and in the same drawing the red linesrepresent the pressers N N as nearly drawn down, to press the barbs ofthe needles into the grooves. One of the sinkers is represented as beingraised by the slur. I contemplate making the sinkers of such a size andweight as may be necessary to form the loops of the yarn knit, let it becoarse or fine, and to vary the size and proportions ofthe other partsof the machine, as may be expedient or necessary, to facilitate itsoperations, and adapt it to the kind of work, for which it is intended.

Operation: To set the machine at work set 4 the levers Gr G and the armsl l in about the same position that they are represented in Fig. 5. Somespools of yarn should be suspended over the machine, to` supply thecarrying needles g g, which should be threaded as represented by the redlines t z-, and the ends of the yarn drawn between the stop bars 9 9,and the combs b Z2. The pulley E being turned in the direction pointedby the arrow, it turns the pinion E, which i turns the wheel F and mainshaft F', and

y chains 7 7 carry and deliver the yarn under the projectionsv e c uponthe sinkers,`when the slur allows each sinker to drop to thefalling-bar, and draw from the carrying needles g, g, the supply of yarnrequired to form a loop, before the succeeding sinker is allowed todescend at all, or come in contact with the yarn, so as to hinder theyarn from being drawn freely by the sinkers that the J J which raise theshort arms of the levers K K; and the long arms draw out the needle barsK K and needles a a. The teeth of the combs b b now hold the yarn inevery space between the needles, and make a series of loops half thelength, but double the number of those made by the sinkers. The loopsthus formed may now be threaded with a string or wire, orfastened to theedge of a piece of cloth, so as to be drawn down between the combs b band the stop bars 9 9, so that as the needles a a pass in the loops thusformedwill be retained by the stop bars 9 9, and the needles will slipforward through the loops as they pass in between the sinkers. Theneedles having returned to their places as the operation proceeds, theslurs raise the sinkers, the carrying needles deliver the yarn (asheretofore described) and form a new series of loops, whichare held bythe sinkers so as to be drawn under the barbs of the needles as theyaredrawn back, and the pressers N N are drawn down (by the resser slidesR R, rods R R presser bar and -presser levers P P; by the action of therollers O O upon `the knobs O O), and press the barbs of the needles'into the grooves as they are drawn back; so

that the old loops held by the combs b b slip over the barbs and aredrawn olf, over the heads or ends of the needles. The pressers risebythe action of the springs N N, and as the needles passin the stop bars`9 9, retain the loops upon the needles, so that the needles slipforward through them, to receive more yarn from the carrying needles asheretofore described. The fabrics knit as represented by the red linesare drawn down by the rollers m which lay upon them; and

are wound up by the rollers p p, which fare turned occasionally by theattendant.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a sinker to be used in machines for knitting, so constructed as toform the loops upon the needles used in knitting two separate fabrics,at the same time, and at one operation; and of sufficient weight to drawthe requisite quantity of yarn "frorn the supply to form the loopsrequired.

2. In a slur to be used in knitting machines so constructed as to leteach sinker drop to the falling bar, and draw the requisite quantity ofyarn from-the supply to form the loop or loops, between the needlesbefore it allows the succeeding sinker to drop, and act upon the yarn.

3. In a falling bar so constructed that the slurs and slur boxestraverse upon it; instead' of traversing a separate bar.

4c. In the combination of the sinkers, stop bars, combs and needles thattraverse so arranged as to knit two separate fabrics at the same timewith one and the same set of sinkers, and slur.

5. Ido not intend to limit myself to the `precise construction describedin the foregoing .specicationg but to use such forms of construction aswill answer the purposev intended.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN PEPPER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT N. HATCH, ALONZO HAINES.

